Surety bonds sit behind a large share of global construction, infrastructure and commercial contracts. They protect project owners and counterparties if a contractor or supplier fails to perform or pay. Behind each bond stands a specialist surety carrier that underwrites the risk and provides the financial guarantee.
This overview highlights ten of the most prominent surety bond companies worldwide, grouped by their primary regions of strength. It is not a ranking and it is not exclusive. The goal is to give sponsors, contractors and corporates a starting point when thinking about surety capacity and when it may make sense to work through a packaging and placement platform such as Financely.
A surety bond company stands behind a contractor, supplier or service provider and guarantees performance or payment to the beneficiary. If the principal does not meet its contractual obligations, the surety responds under the bond wording, up to the stated limit. In many markets, surety bonds are accepted as an alternative to bank guarantees and letters of credit, which can free up bank lines for other needs.
Typical products include contract bonds for construction and engineering, commercial bonds linked to licensing or regulatory requirements, and custom guarantees for energy, infrastructure and trade. Larger carriers operate across multiple regions and can issue bonds on both domestic and cross border projects.
Surety is still a relationship driven product. Local law, bond wording practice and public sector tender rules differ widely between North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East or Africa. Even when a carrier has a global brand, the actual bond issuance will run through regional teams and local paper.
For sponsors and contractors, this means that the choice of surety provider is rarely just a logo decision. It must reflect project location, governing law, the beneficiary profile and the capacity required. Often the most resilient programs are syndicated, with one or two global carriers leading and regional partners sharing risk.
The companies below appear consistently across global surety market reports and regional rankings, based on written premiums, financial strength and specialist focus on surety. This list is illustrative and does not exclude the many other capable surety providers and brokers active in each market.
| Region | Company | Headline Profile | Core Surety Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Liberty Mutual Surety | One of the largest surety providers worldwide, issuing bonds across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific through Liberty Specialty Markets. Rated carriers and strong balance sheet. | Contract and commercial surety, performance and payment bonds, large infrastructure and industrial projects. |
| North America | Travelers Surety | Long established United States surety carrier with a deep footprint in construction, listed among the main global surety players by multiple market studies. | Bid, performance and payment bonds, contract surety for contractors and engineering firms. |
| North America | Chubb Surety | Global insurer with a dedicated surety business that issues bonds in more than forty five countries, with strong presence in the Americas and Europe. | International contract bonds, commercial surety, custom programs for multinationals. |
| North America | The Hartford | Major United States insurer regularly cited among leading surety carriers, including for small and mid sized contractors. | Contract surety for construction and commercial clients, small and mid market programs. |
| North America | CNA Surety | Specialist surety arm of CNA Financial, listed among the larger global surety players by several market reports. | Contract and commercial surety, license and permit bonds, niche industry programs. |
| Europe | Zurich | Global insurer with a long history in surety and credit lines, active in contract and commercial surety across Europe, the Americas and other regions. | Contract surety for infrastructure, commercial surety, trade credit linked guarantees. |
| Europe | Allianz Trade | Allianz Trade provides surety bonds and guarantees with a large global footprint, supporting infrastructure and industrial projects with significant annual surety capacity. | Contract and commercial surety, global programs, cross border infrastructure support. |
| Europe | Atradius Surety | European surety provider serving a wide range of corporates across different sectors, with dedicated surety hubs. | Trade related guarantees, construction and commercial surety solutions inside Europe and abroad. |
| Europe / Asia Pacific | QBE | Australia based insurer with global operations, including European surety bond offerings for project and commercial clients. | Contract and commercial surety, support for major projects and trade related obligations. |
| Global | Swiss Re Corporate Solutions | Provides surety bonds and alternatives to letters of credit with international underwriting teams, often supporting large complex deals. | Contract and commercial bonds, fronting structures and reinsurance backed surety programs. |
North America is still the reference market for contract surety. Carriers such as Liberty Mutual, Travelers, Chubb, The Hartford and CNA have long histories with state and federal projects, as well as private sector infrastructure. Underwriting focuses on contractor financial strength, work in progress, backlogs and historic performance.
Many United States programs can be extended to support cross border projects in Canada, Latin America or further afield, subject to local fronting and regulatory rules.
In Europe, surety often competes directly with bank guarantees as a form of security requested by project owners and employers. Zurich, Allianz Trade, Atradius and QBE support both domestic and international projects, often working with brokers and specialist advisers on complex infrastructure, energy and industrial mandates.
Many European surety teams can issue paper across multiple countries through passporting or local branches, which helps sponsors running multi jurisdiction programs.
Asia Pacific combines mature markets with high growth infrastructure demand. Global carriers such as Liberty, Chubb and QBE run significant surety portfolios in the region, often through subsidiaries in Australia, Singapore and other hubs.
Regional brokers and advisors help translate local contract practice, public procurement rules and credit norms into surety structures that international carriers can support.
In Latin America and in parts of the Middle East and Africa, surety bonds are widely used on public works, energy, mining and industrial projects. Global carriers like Liberty, Zurich, Allianz Trade and Chubb often work with local partners to issue onshore paper and comply with domestic regulation.
Risk appetite can be sensitive to political and macroeconomic factors, so many programs rely on a combination of export credit agencies, multilaterals and private surety capacity.
Instead of chasing a single brand, most sponsors will shortlist carriers based on project size, location, sector and required capacity. Credit ratings and regulatory standing come first. After that, practical questions matter: has the surety already worked with the beneficiary or grantor, can it issue locally, and can it respond at the speed the tender or project requires.
In higher risk jurisdictions, the right structure may be a layered program with a local fronting carrier and reinsurance or counter guarantees behind it. In lower risk markets, a single carrier may be enough, provided the bond wording matches the commercial deal and governing law.
Financely does not replace the surety carriers listed above. Our role is to package transactions and coordinate introductions to suitable banks, insurers and specialist surety providers through regulated partners. For serious mandates, that starts with disciplined file intake rather than casual email chains.
Through our platform, we collect financials, project details, contract documentation and security requirements in a consistent data room. That gives carriers and their brokers a clear view of what is being asked, and it reduces friction in underwriting. Once the file meets basic criteria, we arrange introductions to surety providers that match the region, sector and ticket size.
If you need performance, bid, advance payment or commercial surety bonds for a project, our team can coordinate intake and introductions to suitable carriers and brokers.
Request A Quote Through Our PlatformDisclaimer: This page is for general information only and does not constitute advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any insurance or financial product. References to surety carriers are illustrative and based on publicly available information about global market participants. Financely acts as advisor and arranger through regulated partners and is not a bank or insurer. Any surety bond, guarantee, facility or investment is subject to underwriting, KYC, AML, sanctions screening, legal review, documentation, perfected security and approvals by relevant stakeholders. Professional and wholesale audience only.
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